Hello all. I'm in the market for a new (to me) car and I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions?
I would like close to 70mpg ( rules out most cars I know!) or the equivalent of 70 mpg in LPG , so in reality 35 to 40mpg on gas.
I know this is a tall order but I'll need to do 700 miles a week soon and need it to be as cheap as it can! I have a 2002 C Class Estate at the
moment, so ideally of a similar size?
I would have the budget of about 2.6k?
I know I'm asking a lot for not a lot but this is LCB....
Thanks everyone
Michael
merc estate size and 70 mpg??
no chance
I think you're looking at something about the size of a 106...
Or for Merc estate size a diesel would give you about 40-50mpg
Mate at work has a Renault megane 1.5 dci. He has a 90 mile each way commute and he gets high 60's to the gallon. He does drive like miss Daisy though. you can buy them cheap as chips and tax is 35 quid if I remember right.
Thanks chaps, it need not be an estate. Just something with enough room for myself, wife and daughter and the normal travelling/holiday gubbins!
Might I suggest small car (Clio, 206 etc) and a towbar for holiday gubbins?
quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
Might I suggest small car (Clio, 206 etc) and a towbar for holiday gubbins?
Don't see why not, I'd be lpg'ing our small car but with our current mileage it'd take years to recoup. If you're doing 700 a
week.. I'm sure one of the conversion sites has a savings calculator..
Here http://autogasyorkshire.co.uk/lpg-conversion/savings-calculator/
[Edited on 18/5/12 by Ninehigh]
Our spare car at the moment is a very nice 12 year old 40,000 mile (still on original Michelin E tyres which are not good in the wet) Rover
45Xi 1.4 hatch, it returns 38mpg and with 103ps in a fairly light car is a hoot to drive. After almost a year of owning it it has had a total
purchase + maintenance cost of £890 and has just sailed through an MOT and I reckon I could still sell it at a profit.
Based on experience with an LPG conversion on a 1.8 K series I would predict 35 mpg on gas giving a cost equivalent of about 60 mpg on petrol
but even a DIY LPG conversion using a Stag or King kit is going is going cost about £550
[Edited on 18/5/12 by britishtrident]
On a motorway, small cars arent always best on fuel. I think that being so short upsets the air more than a longer car. They get good combined cycles
due to the low weight being good around town. Estates are bad due to the sudden back end. There was a new golf advertised as exceeding 80mpg, and
magazine testers actually achieved it.
Dont be obsessed with getting a car large enough for hols, thats only a few weeks a year and a roof box does the trick fine.
For your budget, id be aiming for one of these 1.5 litre diesels, up to maybe a 1.9tdi golf. The megane above isnt a bad idea. Its also not hard to
drive carefully and save wonga.
LPG is no good for me, there are barely any garages in leeds selling it.
[Edited on 18/5/12 by JoelP]
I'm getting 70mpg out of my polo classic (saloon) with the 1.9 SDI diesel in it and there is an estate version, the polo variant up to about 2002. Slow as a wet week but sits at 85 on the motorway and still does 70mpg. Seat do the Cordoba saloon and estate with the same engine and there are turbo versions for a bit more power and 60 MPG. My car was £700 and I have spent another 300 or so getting it perfect. SDI engine lasts for ever. Cordoba and Classic/Variant are quite roomy.
Older Renault Dci's are a potential minefield the 1.5 is relatively safe compared to the 1.9 and larger Renualt-Nissan Dci
Problem is oil quality and extended oil change intervals, basically if the oil is not changed regularly (preferably at shorter intervals than
Renault recommend) using fully synthetic 5w/30 oil then the oil feed to the turbo chokes up and the turbo blows up taking out the whole engine.
My Mondeo st tdci gives 55 mpg and just topped 170 k I think that's a very good mpg for a big car and a 2.2 ltre engine, had it as high as 58 on
a good run and when just serviced it's gets more,
Smart car poss and hire a car when goes on holiday?...
Thanks
Something as small as a smart is just too dangerous IMHO. Crashing is rare for me nowadays (i had 8 as a teenager), but there is only so far id go for economy. You do need a crumple zone of some form.
citreon c3 1.4 deisel 70bhp version.
I commuted in it for a year, got real world 70mpg in stop start commute. Saved me a fortune.
£20 a year road tax too!
incidentally its up for sale too - no good for you as I'm miles away, but if anyone local is interested... 52k, tax and tested, offers around
£2400 will be accepted.... 
My 106 1.5D did 70 round the doors and exceeded 80mpg on the dual roads @60mph. Not fun to drive though with no pas.
Think the 206 with the diesel does the same but has pas and a few toys.
My current thing, a 2007 1.9JTD Doblo does around 50mpg.
audi A2 , quoted at 100 mpg from a magazine..........
not sure its in budget .
my choice would be nissan micra 1.3 with lpg , they do 45 mpg normally .
i think im gonna do that after ive LPG'd my volvo . STAG lpg kits arent as good nowadays either , youll need something that is multipoint to get
the better mpg .
The new ford fiesta/focus ecoboost will do 78 mpg and sounds the dogs dangeles when you give it some stick
quote:
Originally posted by coozer
My 106 1.5D did 70 round the doors and exceeded 80mpg on the dual roads @60mph. Not fun to drive though with no pas.
Think the 206 with the diesel does the same but has pas and a few toys.
My current thing, a 2007 1.9JTD Doblo does around 50mpg.
Keep in mind that if you're doing 700 miles a week, you probably want something relatively comfy!!
I would not consider a 106 or Micra as it'll knacker you - it's not a serene soothing experience (not hating, I own a Micra and love it just
not the right car for this). Also real world fuel consumption on LPG in a Micra drops noticeably (I know people who average around 35mpg on gas)
My passat is on 222k miles, TDi 90hp and does 55mpg real world average, on veg oil. Works out at around £0.07 per mile. Comfy as anything, adjustable
lumbar and height, quiet. Not the quickest thing but can keep up, and will tow a trailer.
Worth a look even if you're not planning on running it on veg oil (you can always blend as well). They have a ridiculously low drag coefficient
(0.27) hence the excellent fuel economy.
The Audi A2 would be my other pick - they command quite a steep price, but are really impressive bits of engineering, and the TDi's should be
plenty comfy enough and should see 65mpg relatively easily (again, stupidly low Cd on these). Don't run them on veg though!
Finally, I'd be tempted by the C3 offer a few posts up - they're supposedly rather comfy for a small hatch.
Yup, A2 is the tool for the job. We've had ours for two years now and it has only needed a PAS sensor (common failure) and a set of anti roll-bar
droplinks. Not bad for a 100K car, right? It is converted to run on LPG and returns around 13km/l without being carefull. Haven't got a clue how
much that is in your imperial numbers though
I have done similar miles per week, small cars are a no no, they are just too exhausting to drive such long distances every day. My first car to do
this was an old 205 grd, that lasted a few weeks, i couldnt hack it. I then got a 1.4 petrol astra, which was fine, but just not cheap enough to run.
I then went for a granada 2.0l LPG, which was great, comfy and pretty damn cheap, but not 70mpg. You have to remember when you run on LPG you get
about a 15-20% loss in MPG of petrol. A few years later i had a 1.8 mondeo which i converted to LPG, but the issue then was availability and price of
LPG. If you go LPG makesure the garage you will use is on your commute, if you are doing that many miles you will be filling up daily as LPG tanks
aren't that big. And ensure its a cheaper station, the difference in LPG prices varies massively, i found by up to 20%. Because of the difference
in MPG on LPG, makesure there is a real saving over the diesel otherwise the hassle of getting the fuel isn't worth it.
If you are doing that mileage, it will mean the car is worthless or ruined in 12 months so you would be best to buy a disposable car, so investing in
an LPG conversion may not be the best option. I personally think a cheap french diesel is you best option, maybe a megane 1.5dci, cheap to buy, good
mpg and loads of them about. I have a 1.5dci clio which does 54mpg on mixed driving, it will hit 60 if i sit on a motorway at a sensible speed, doubt
the megane will do that but shouldn't be far off. Or maybe a none turbo PAG car, i ran a xsara on veg oil for 10k miles, and it never missed a
beat (smelt great too). Stick with the older non common rail diesels, chepaer to repair and will run on almost anything. I have read a big piece on
running diesel cars on a 50/50 mix of used engine oil and diesel, now thats a good saving if you can a free supply of it.
quote:
Originally posted by Volvorsport
audi A2 , quoted at 100 mpg from a magazine..........
not sure its in budget .
my choice would be nissan micra 1.3 with lpg , they do 45 mpg normally .
i think im gonna do that after ive LPG'd my volvo . STAG lpg kits arent as good nowadays either , youll need something that is multipoint to get the better mpg .
Audi A2 TDI is well worth a look
My neighbour has one and rates it very highly
Thank you so much everyone, excellent advice as always! Do some more thinking this weekend and start to draw up a shortlist!
and when i cant find a motor suitable for the low cost commute , i always think of building one ......
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_64
100 mph on 50 hp , must be plenty of diesels that have 50 hp..... just need to make it lightweight , comfortable , aircon , stereo , safe , reliable ,
easy to drive ...........
Corsa 1.7CDTi 70mpg easy i had one for 5 years from new and could not fault it .
http://www.autoinsider.co.uk/features/index.php?fid=26
quote:
Originally posted by Volvorsport
and when i cant find a motor suitable for the low cost commute , i always think of building one ......
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_64
100 mph on 50 hp , must be plenty of diesels that have 50 hp..... just need to make it lightweight , comfortable , aircon , stereo , safe , reliable , easy to drive ...........
I recently drove from Skye to London in one day in my 1.5dci Megane. Comfy and averaged around 60mpg. Would have been better but traffic jams do bad things for your mpg..... Safe as houses too.
quote:
Originally posted by PSpirine
My passat is on 222k miles, TDi 90hp and does 55mpg real world average, on veg oil. Works out at around £0.07 per mile. Comfy as anything, adjustable lumbar and height, quiet. Not the quickest thing but can keep up, and will tow a trailer.
Worth a look even if you're not planning on running it on veg oil (you can always blend as well). They have a ridiculously low drag coefficient (0.27) hence the excellent fuel economy.
I've just spotted an advert for the diesel tuning boxes and the better mpg claim. I'm now curious how an lpg conversion and tuning items like this like each other..
Iirc, official data for Rover 25 td was xs of 70mpg and you could get one of those for not a lot
That or Honda C90!
ATB
Simon
quote:
Originally posted by hobbsy
quote:
Originally posted by PSpirine
My passat is on 222k miles, TDi 90hp and does 55mpg real world average, on veg oil. Works out at around £0.07 per mile. Comfy as anything, adjustable lumbar and height, quiet. Not the quickest thing but can keep up, and will tow a trailer.
Worth a look even if you're not planning on running it on veg oil (you can always blend as well). They have a ridiculously low drag coefficient (0.27) hence the excellent fuel economy.
Which year / model of Passat is this out of interest as from memory they have done a couple of different shapes with the 90bhp TDI?
I often flip between getting a cheap car like this which doesn't matter if it gets dinged in the car park (and can run on veg etc!) or go for something like a 535D with a remap and a Quaife diff and kid myself if driven sensibly it will top 40mpg but really know that you can defy physics and if making the power and caning it everywhere I'll probably get 25mpg (and obviously stuck with pricey pump diesel)...